You Deserve a Second Chance
by Ereanella
Summary: Regina is still trying to pretend she is some kind of an Evil Queen, but when she meets a thief named Robin Hood, her whole world is turned upside down. [Outlaw Queen; Missing Year Fanfic, might continue in Storybrooke]
1. Chapter 1 - You're Hurt

**Hello everyone! I'm back now, but with a fanfiction on the TV show _Once Upon a Time_. Let's just say that it is a Missing Year fanfic, but it may continue in Storybrooke later on.**

 **Pairing: Outlaw Queen (Regina Mills / Robin Hood)**

 **Main genres: Romance / Adventure / Drama**

 **Rated: T (if there are any M-rated chapters, I'll put a warning at the beginning of the chapter)**

 **Warning: English is not my native language, so I'm sorry for any mistakes you may find here, because this is unbetaed (is that even a word?) for now.**

 **Disclaimer: The characters and the settings are not mine, and I don't make any money out of this story.**

* * *

 **Chapter 1: You're Hurt**

Regina was kneeling on the earth, in the Enchanted Forest. She gazed up at the sky, tears glistening in her eyes. How could she have done that? She had let her son go away from her. He could have been happy here, with her, and she was very aware of it, but she also knew better. He wasn't made for this world. In a sense, she was happy he got to be with his other mother, but… She felt as if her heart would be broken, forever.

She pressed her hand against her chest and took a deep breath. Control. She wished she had that right now. But she didn't. So she let her tears fall like little drops on the forest ground. No one was going to find her here anyways.

"M'lady?" a voice suddenly asked, making her jump on her feet.

"Who the hell are you?" she asked with disdain after regaining her composure.

She fought back her tears and looked at the stranger who had just spoken to her. It was a man, with brown hair and blue eyes. He had a bow in his hands, and she instantly adopted a defensive stance.

"Robin of Locksley, m'lady," he introduced himself, apparently not caring about her defensive attitude.

 _Ah, the thief_ … she thought with contempt. He didn't look like he wanted to hurt her though, but she knew very well that that didn't mean he wasn't going to. She didn't let her guard down and stood with her head held high.

"And you are…?" he asked with a smirk.

She let her disdain show in her voice when she answered, "I am your queen, and you should –"

"The queen, really? The Evil Queen?"

His shoulders were now very tense, she noticed. She frowned a little and nodded briefly. His hand gripped his weapon tighter and he scowled.

"What are you doing in these woods?" he asked, not as kindly as he had before.

She laughed bitterly and looked at him dead in the eye, and she chose to answer him with some honesty. "I needed to be alone, and I think you just saw that when –"

"When I interrupted your crying? Yes, I saw that. Why were you crying?"

"It is none of your business, _thief_!"

He looked straight at her and when she expected anger to show in his eyes, it was something akin to pity that appeared in them.

"Were you traveling with the people on the main road?" he asked her again.

She was quite grateful that he had changed the subject, and so she told him the truth. She told him she was traveling with them because they had to reach her castle, and when she saw his frown, she stopped her talking and raised her eyebrows, silently asking him what had happened to it. He lowered his eyes and took a deep breath, before approaching her with small, delicate steps. She didn't walk away from him, but the way he approached her disturbed her greatly.

"The castle is already inhabited, your majesty," he explained.

"You're lying," she exclaimed. She was sure of that. She had cast a spell on the castle to prevent anyone from entering, and no one but her could break it.

She stared at the man and she quickly understood that he wasn't. All she could see in him was honesty… which was quite surprising, because he was supposed to be a thief.

"But… how could it be? No one was supposed to be able to break the spell…"

Everything was going down around her. Her world was crumbling to pieces and she couldn't do anything to stop it.

"I'm really sorry," he apologized, and she didn't even know why.

She nodded stiffly towards him, regaining her countenance, and then she turned on her heels and decided to head back towards the main road. She couldn't stay there to grieve, she wouldn't be at peace anymore, now that the thief knew she had come here to cry.

"Wait!" he almost shouted.

She stopped but didn't turn to look at him.

"I don't really think you can head back to the castle now… Do you?" he continued, and she could easily hear that he was smirking again.

She sniggered.

"Do you really think I will let that person, whoever it is, get away with invading _my_ castle?" Her tone was so cold when she said it, and became even colder when she went on, "No, I don't think so. Even if I have to rip their heart out, I will –"

"Your majesty," he cut her off, _again_. "What I wanted to say was…" He waited until she had calmed down and then went on, "I have a camp in the woods, and I think there is enough room for every single one of you."

"And why would you do this, _thief_?"

He huffed with exasperation and answered, "Because it's the right thing to do, m'lady." And his voice held such strength that, in a way, it appeased her.

"Alright," she finally agreed. "Lead on."

"To my camp?"

She looked at him straight in the eye and wondered if he truly meant this.

"No, to the nearest river," she said in a dead serious tone. When she saw him frowning, she shook her head and almost smiled, "Yes, to your camp."

He grinned and nodded. And just like that, he was gone. Regina swore quietly and had to focus on her footsteps, so that she didn't trip over her own feet. She had forgotten how hard it was to walk and run in that long, dark dress she used to love. And now she was following a thief in the woods, and he led her to a camp she didn't know anything about. Had she gone completely crazy?

When she finally stumbled out of the woods, she lifted her eyes up and had to contain a gasp. So this was the camp Robin had talked about…

Before her laid a vast clearing, with a few tents scattered in the middle of it. The grass here was green, when everywhere else she had seen some, it had been nothing but weeds. And it was open, so everyone could gaze up at the stars at night.

"Do you like it enough, your majesty?"

Robin's voice interrupted her trail of thoughts and when she looked at him, she truly smiled this time.

"This is more than wonderful," she declared warmly. "I think everyone will be happy here, while I track down the one that invaded the castle."

She hadn't said that it was _her_ castle, Robin noticed. And yet, he asked her, "Must you always be so serious, your majesty?"

Her smile vanished instantly, and when he saw her open her mouth, he didn't let her intervene and continued, "If you could just open your eyes, you'd see you could be happy with everyone here, and not in this castle you're always talking about!"

She averted her gaze and stared ahead of her, at the tents in the center of the clearing.

 _I can't, I can't, I can't_ , she thought, over and over, until Robin's voice cut her thoughts off once again. He said, "I'm sorry, your majesty, it wasn't my place to –"

"It's fine. I'll just head back to the main road and lead them here… if it's still alright."

He nodded and offered to walk with her, but she shook her head and told him, "I need to be alone for now."

She left without another word, walking briskly among the trees. She didn't want to use her magic. She needed time and for once, this instant travel spell she used so much wasn't what she needed the most.

This time, not a single tear fell from her eyes and she wondered if she should be worried. It might not have been voluntary, but he had just turned her world upside down, even more than it already was. She didn't need his advice and still… The words he had said were opposed to every single thing she believed in – revenge, darkness and power. And then she realized that she didn't believe in those things anymore. As little as it was, it still comforted her.

* * *

She was still walking among the trees, lost in her thoughts, when a noise brusquely woke her up. She frowned and looked at the canopy, wondering what it was. Maybe it was just a bird… She swore if it was that thief again, she was going to curse him until the end of his days.

When she heard nothing more after a few minutes of silence, she shrugged and started walking again. Before she could even realize it, she found herself face down on the ground, with her ribs aching so much she couldn't breathe for a few seconds.

She forced herself to turn around, and she saw the horrible creature flying again towards her. She raised one hand, and a ball of fire appeared in her palm. Unfortunately, she didn't have time to throw it at the… flying monkey, or whatever it was, before it grabbed her by the collar of her dress and lifted her up in the air.

She gasped when the breath was knocked out of her, and she chose this moment to finally burn the creature. It let her go, and she fell onto the ground, bruising her ribs even more. She closed her eyes and tried to take a deep breath, but the pain cut her breath away. And when she opened her eyes again, she saw the creature charging her one more time. Why couldn't it just let her be? she asked herself. She tried to fight it off more quickly this time, but failed, probably because of the pain which clouded her mind.

At the precise moment when she thought she could do nothing and the creature would kill her, she heard a _swoosh_ near her ear and the flying monkey backed away with an inhuman scream. She turned her head as best as she could to see who had saved her and scowled. Him again!

"I told you not to follow me, _thief_!" she seethed.

"You didn't let me finish what I had to say," he answered calmly. "I could have warned you about them, but you didn't listen to me, you just left. And now you're hurt," he stated with concern.

"I'm fine."

She tried to get up and hissed in pain. He raised an eyebrow and stared at her. She glared at him and informed him that it would heal pretty fast, because of her powers. _Or so I hope_ , she thought while she sat down in the mud.

Suddenly, a hand appeared in front of her eyes and she stared at it, and then at its owner.

"Why are you offering me your hand?" she asked, trying to hide her gratitude.

"Because you're hurt, and you need help if you want to be more comfortable to use your magic," he stated like it was obvious.

She briefly thought about it, and then let him help her up. She leaned onto him and he helped her walk towards a nearby, large tree. She sat down, and even though it wasn't the most comfortable place she had ever known, she was able to focus more and let her magic soothe her aching bones. When she opened her eyes again, she saw him looking at her with a frown and she rose to her feet.

"Thank you, but I'm better now. You can go back to your camp, and I'll –"

"No. After what happened, I'm not letting you go into the woods alone again. Besides, your people must be far ahead of us now. You'll probably need help catching up with them."

"I have magic, I can –"

"Your majesty. I am coming with you, and you can't convince me otherwise."

She looked at him and sighed, before leading the way among the trees. She wondered why he was helping her. When he had first learned she was the Evil Queen, he had acted so… aggressively, and now he was willing to help her alongside with all the others. She asked herself if she had done anything to convince him she had changed, and decided that she would ask him later.

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 **And there you go! That was the first chapter (probably a little short, sorry), I hope you liked it. Once again, I'm sorry for the mistakes that you probably found in there!**

 **I hope the characters are still In Character for you, and that you will like this idea as a plot, even if it was used very often before!**

 **Thank you for reading!**

 **P.S.: I will probably be able to post a new chapter each Monday evening. :)**


	2. Chapter 2 - Thank You

**Hello everyone! Here is the second chapter, and I think it is the first time in my whole life I have respected the deadline I fixed!**

 **Disclaimer: Everything (characters, setting) belongs to Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis, and ABC. I don't make any money out of this story.**

 **I hope you enjoy your reading!**

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 **Chapter 2:** **Thank You**

The queen was leading him, slowly but surely, towards the main road. Robin looked at her, and he saw her long, dark hair moving with every step she took.

He knew he should probably hate her after what she did to Marian, his beloved wife, but he couldn't help but being hypnotized by her. That was probably why he had offered to help them all in the first place.

"Why did you come back here?" he suddenly asked, when he couldn't take the silence anymore.

"I had to," she answered shortly. She apparently felt his eyes on her, because she sighed and continued, "There was a curse in our town. If we hadn't come here, we would have…"

She trailed off and lowered her eyes, and he knew why he had offered his help. She clearly wasn't the Evil Queen anymore. She seemed… almost sad when she talked about that curse, and actually willing to help others, so either she regretted casting that curse, either she didn't and she was just doing her best to make it all better.

"Were you the one to cast it?" He desperately wanted to know more, to know if she had really changed.

"No, of course not! I wouldn't have endangered my son with another curse!"

He literally stopped at how vehemently she had spoken, and he looked at her with admiration. So it was her son she was fighting for…

"He's not here with me," she clarified, and he knew that she had noticed he had stopped walking.

Robin looked into her eyes and saw a sadness so deep that he thought, for a brief moment, it would overcome him as well.

"Where is he then?" he asked her.

She took a deep breath and answered, "Safe," before walking away from him, her shoulders slumped. He frowned and wondered what was so terrible about it. Of course, he wasn't with her anymore, but what better life could she hope for him than a life where he was _safe_? He had no intention of asking her more about it, because he could feel her nerves were almost breaking by now. _Maybe later…_ he thought. For now, he kept on following her without uttering another word.

* * *

They walked and walked and walked, until finally, they stepped out of the forest onto the mud of the main road. It was raining now, and they hadn't even felt it because the rain was blocked by the thick canopy above them.

The queen stopped and turned once again towards him. She asked him, "Do you want to continue on foot, or should I take us there right now?"

"As you want, m'lady," he just said calmly.

A few seconds later, he was further up the main road, facing someone he recognized easily.

"Baelfire!" he exclaimed, and a smile appeared on his lips, and he was well aware that everyone was staring at them now.

"You know him?" he heard the queen ask. He didn't really know if the question was for him or for his friend.

"Yes, Regina, I know him," Baelfire mumbled, and took a step towards him. "So you've traveled safely back to the forest, Robin?" he asked with a huge smile on his lips.

"Yes, Roland and I are perfectly safe."

He saw a frown on Regina's face and remembered he hadn't told her about his son. But then again, why would he?

Another woman with white and brown traveling clothes and dark hair intervened, asking if he was _the_ Robin Hood. And he answered by telling her he was, a polite smile on his face. He didn't like how everyone gushed about him, because every single time someone heard his name, they either saw him as some kind of a dangerous outlaw, or as a _good_ person. And he wasn't either of them.

"And you were with Regina…" the woman smiled.

"What?" he let out before he could stop himself. He heard Regina exclaim at the same moment, "Excuse me?"

"Oh…" The woman seemed to realize she was in the wrong and obviously had to hold back a laugh when she continued, "It's just… Regina isn't really the… social type."

For a few moments, Robin thought the queen would literally burn her down, but she took a deep breath and chose to avoid everyone's gaze (especially his, he noticed). He couldn't help it, he smiled a little before dropping the subject.

" _Regina_ and I…" he began, stressing her name, which made her look at him with a frown. "We have an offer for you."

"No, _you_ have an offer for them," she immediately rectified.

"Well, yes, but you agreed. Obviously."

She held her head high and crossed her arms, and he didn't lower his eyes, defying her. When they both became aware everyone was staring at them, they dropped their silent argument and turned towards them again.

"As I said, we have an offer." He heard the queen huff, but she didn't stop him this time. "I have a camp in the woods, and –"

"A beautiful camp in a beautiful clearing," Regina intervened. "I'm sure you'll like it, Snow," she said, fixing her gaze on the other dark-haired woman.

So the woman who had asked if he was _the_ Robin Hood was in fact Snow White… and the Evil Queen (but she didn't seem so evil anymore) didn't look like she permanently wanted to kill her. In fact, she was now _smiling_ at the younger woman, and Snow wasn't nervous at all in her presence. Obviously, things had changed between them, but why and how? He didn't know… yet.

"Yes, my people have already told me how beautiful they think it is," he agreed. "Anyways, there's still enough place for every single one of you, and I don't think it will be a problem if you –"

"Why not go to the castle?" a man asked.

He was standing just behind Snow White and had his hand on the small of her back, so he concluded that this man was her husband, Prince Charming.

At Charming's question, Regina looked at him anxiously and he sighed, understanding very well why she didn't want to explain it all by herself. And so he told them, "We cannot go to the castle, because it has already been invaded during your… absence."

Short, but clear. That was the best he could do, and the queen would have to do the rest by herself.

"Invaded?" Snow exclaimed. "By who?"

"We don't know," Regina answered. "I cast a spell on it to prevent anyone from entering it, and no one should have been able to break it. And yet, it happened."

Everyone but the both of them looked at each other, they seemed to agree on something, and then some of the most important people gathered around Snow and Charming. The queen was left alone, and so was he. They looked at them and tried to understand what they were saying, but they couldn't, and so when Snow walked towards them with a serious face, he slightly tensed. Until a smile appeared on her lips and she said, "Of course we'll accept your offer! But are you sure your… people will accept us?"

"Of course they'll accept you. I'm not so sure about _you_ , though." And with that, he turned towards Regina, his eyes telling her he was sorry about that.

She nodded in understanding and answered, "I can understand why. I don't think I'll need to stay at your camp very long though. Soon I'll go and fight whoever it is that invaded the castle."

"You need a plan first," Snow countered.

The queen looked down at Snow, and sneered, "I already have a plan."

"You do?" Charming asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Of course I do. I have my magic, and –"

"Magic? Is that your solution to everything?" Robin couldn't help but ask.

She glared at him and didn't even answer. He huffed, and Snow looked at him apologetically. It wasn't her fault though if Regina was so irritable, so he offered her a little smile, and then glared at the queen while she wasn't looking.

He made sure everyone was really alright with the leaders' decision, and then gestured for them to follow him. He then saw a purple cloud of smoke from the corners of his eyes and raised his eyebrows, because Regina wasn't here anymore.

"Like I said, Regina is not much of the social type…" Snow apologized for her once they were walking in the woods. "She's probably already in the forest, she likes to be alone."

"Yes, I've noticed that," he grumbled.

"I hope she didn't go to your camp… She won't be welcomed warmly."

"I don't think she is that stupid," he reassured her.

Snow laughed a little and told him she liked him. He smiled in return, and then he heard another one of those terrible, terrible screams. Inhuman, screeching… He was growing paler by the second, because he knew what direction that scream came from. His camp… It wasn't necessarily his camp that was being attacked, but there was a strong chance.

"Roland!" he said anxiously.

"What was that?" Charming asked him at the same moment.

He didn't answer and started running in the right direction. He just heard everyone calling after him, and then their feet hitting the ground behind his. For a brief moment, he regretted he hadn't told them to be quiet, because this much noise could endanger them all.

* * *

When they arrived to the camp, no one had been hurt even though they had made more noise than a herd of elephants, and the first thing he saw was a person in a long, black dress. Regina… Then he noticed how everyone had gathered around her, but not necessarily in an aggressive way.

She turned towards him at the noise and he saw someone behind her. She had her hands on the little boy's shoulders.

"Roland!" he sighed with relief.

"Papa!" the little boy screamed, and he ran towards him.

Robin noticed his son's cheeks were stained with tears, and he kneeled on the ground to receive him in his open arms.

"What happened?" he asked his comrades.

"Well…" Little John stammered.

"What happened is that one of those stupid… flying monkeys attacked your precious little camp! I thought it was a… a haven, and it attacked it!" Regina thundered. "And your… son was there, in the middle of the clearing, and –"

"And so she saved him," his best friend interrupted, pointing to the queen with his chin.

"Yes Papa!" Roland told him. "She saved me!"

"Well… I guess I have to thank you then."

He nodded towards Regina, who took a deep breath and replied with a nod of her own.

"Did that beast hurt you, Roland?" he asked seriously to his little son.

"No Papa. Look!"

Roland took his hand and led him towards Regina, who smiled and held up a… Was that a _teddy bear_? He couldn't suppress his laugh, and sniggered, "You turned it into… that?"

"Well yes. I couldn't let it hurt your little boy."

She looked at Roland and smiled warmly, and that's when he remembered her own son. She probably wanted to make it up for leaving him behind… wherever "behind" was.

"Thank you again," he said to her.

She looked at him, and he thought she saw something in his eyes that made her soften, because she handed the stuffed toy to his son and then put a light hand on his elbow, telling him, "You'll take care of your son, right? You won't let anything bad happen to him?"

He nodded almost frantically, because she had to know he wouldn't let _anything_ happen to him. She smiled once more and then she was heading off towards the others, who were still waiting on the borders of the meadow. They probably wanted to give them some privacy… and some time to accommodate to all those intruders.

* * *

 **I hope you enjoyed, that the characters were still In Character (even though I feel like they weren't) and that there weren't too many mistakes in this! :)**

 **The next chapter will be out next Monday!**

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Answers to anonymous reviews:

\- **Guest:** I'm really glad you liked it, and I hope you liked that chapter as well!


	3. Chapter 3 - You're Very Kind

**Hello everyone! Here is the third chapter, and even if it's still the beginning of the story, it's my favorite chapter I've written so far, so I hope you'll enjoy your reading!**

 **Also, thanks to everyone who followed, favorites, reviewed, and even read my story, it means so much! :)**

 **Disclaimer: Everything (characters, setting) belongs to Adam Horowitz, Edward Kitsis and ABC. I don't make any money out of this story.**

 **And now… Enjoy!**

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 **Chapter 3:** **You're Very Kind**

Regina walked off towards Snow, Charming and the others, trying to forget the terrified little scream that had escaped Roland's lips.

She had been discreetly roaming around the camp, trying to think about all the reasons the people in here had to hate her. She had been thinking about the reasons that led them to become the outlaws they were, and in the worst scenarios… Well, it had been because of her and her cruelty.

She had stayed hidden, and had waited a few minutes, when suddenly, she had heard a little boy scream. It had reminded her of Henry, and so she had immediately looked into the clearing, and she had seen a little boy, a lot younger than Henry. That little child was crouching in the center of the meadow, and above him was… one of those damn flying monkeys! The people under the tents were running towards him, but none of them was going to reach him in time, that much she knew.

She had readied herself and had thrown a fire ball at the creature, and this time it hadn't had time to escape. It had hit it just as the creature had gotten ready to hurt the little boy. It had flown away and she had come closer to the scared child, and he had almost thrown himself into her arms, thanking her a thousand times. She had held him close and had hummed a little song, just as she usually did with Henry when he was a little boy. And the boy had slightly calmed down, until his father (that exasperating thief again!) had come running into the clearing.

And now she was heading towards her former enemies, and no one tried to stop her. Maybe she had been right to help the boy ( _Roland_ , she reminded herself), now they all considered her as… something else. Something else than the Evil Queen.

* * *

Regina was sitting in front of a very small fire, apart from all the others who where sitting around a larger one, observing everything that happened around her. She let her attention settle on Roland, who was sitting in his father's lap and listening to his conversation with Snow and Charming. She didn't think he would notice her looking at him, but he suddenly looked towards her and smiled at her. It was really one of the biggest smiles she had ever seen, and she couldn't help but smile back. And then, he stopped looking at her and turned his attention back to Snow, who was laughing quietly at something the thief had said.

She frowned a little when she saw a man approaching her. It obviously wasn't one of the cursed people, because she knew every single one of them, and so she turned towards him, rising to her feet as well.

"Yes?" she asked before he could say anything.

"I'm John," he introduced himself. She raised an eyebrow and, completely ignorant of the fact that she was not enchanted to see him here, he continued, "But everyone calls me Little John."

She took a deep breath and told him, "I saw you earlier. You were running towards Roland, when the flying monkey attacked him."

"Of course I'd try to save him! Robin's like my brother, and I've known Roland since he was a little boy. If I let that thing hurt him…"

"You wouldn't have forgiven yourself," she completed.

He seemed surprised she understood him, but if he knew what happened earlier that day, he wouldn't be so shocked, she was sure. She still hadn't forgiven herself for giving up on Henry.

"I like you, you know?" he suddenly said in a more joyous tone.

She looked at him with a puzzled expression on her face, and he seemed to realize what he had just said and precised, "Well, for giving them the name 'flying monkeys'. Have to say it describes them pretty well".

She almost laughed and chose to shook her head instead.

"How long have they been here?" she asked, following the topic he had chosen.

"It's been a long time. A very long time. Since everyone of you left, actually. And there are some rumors about…" he paused and something clouded his eyes. Something that resembled pain.

She didn't push the matter and waited for him to talk again. She wondered why she wanted him to speak to her. Probably to know everything that had happened in the Enchanted Forest while they were gone.

When she realized he wasn't going to continue, she sighed quietly and lowered her head. She just heard his rather heavy footsteps walking away from her.

"M'lady?" a small voice suddenly called for her.

She turned around and saw Roland standing there with a sheepish smile. She crouched down and looked at him, a little smile on her lips.

"Papa calls for you," he told her.

"Are you sure, Roland?" she asked. "What does he need me for?"

Roland frowned a little and then shook his head.

"He didn't call me, is that right?" Regina asked, holding back a smirk when she saw him nod briefly. "You're certainly very sly, little one."

"You think?"

"Well, of course! But… why did you want me to come with you? All of you?" With that, she looked at the people around the bigger fire and saw Robin staring at them. He didn't look hostile though, there was just a wrinkle on his forehead, as if he was deep in thought.

"You looked sad, m'lady," he said confidently. "And you're alone. Someone has to be with you. I can stay if you want."

She definitely admired that child, she decided. She was surprised he could read in her so perfectly, and so she decided to make a deal with him.

"Well, Roland, I promise I will join you all in a few minutes. I just need to think a little more right now, alright?"

"So that's why you were sad? You were thinking?" he asked innocently.

"No, that's not the reason," she replied, perhaps a little more tensely than she wanted to.

He stayed silent for a few moments and then nodded fervently, bowing before her. She stared at him, startled, and when Roland rose again, he told her with a proud smile which showed his dimples (the same as his father's, she couldn't help but notice), "Papa said you were your majesty!"

She laughed a little and just when she was about to tell him there was no need he bowed before her, he walked away, jumping around excitedly. She looked at him fooling around and smiled. He reminded her of the way Henry was before everything (the book, Emma, Neverland) happened.

She suddenly felt a pair of eyes glued on her, and she looked straight into Robin's blue eyes when she searched for its owner. Her smile faded a little and she raised her eyebrows, silently asking him what the hell was wrong with him. Why was he fixing her this way, as if he wanted to read her like an open book?

To her surprise, he rose from his seat and settled little Roland in the exact same place, onto the tree trunk he was sitting on. Roland's eyes widened and when he understood what he was about to do, he shook his head, his curls bouncing around his head. Robin didn't care though, and he ran a hand through his son's hair, leaving his side just after. She asked herself why she wasn't running away, or coming closer to the others, so that he wouldn't talk to her, but she didn't know the answer. And so she stayed where she was, waiting for him to sit next to her.

"You're very kind, your majesty," was the first thing he said. "I wouldn't have thought you would be, to be honest."

"I'm not kind. It's just –"

"Who knew an Evil Queen had a soft spot for children?" he asked himself with a smirk.

"And who knew a thief had so much honor?" she answered almost immediately, with a similar smirk on her lips.

They both stayed silent for a few moments, and then Robin started talking again, "What I meant was… You're very kind to Roland… Regina."

She didn't deny it, because she was too busy reflecting on how _right_ her name had sounded on his lips this time.

"Where is his mother?" she finally asked after she finally got a hold of her wandering thoughts. "I noticed it before everyone arrived, but there was no woman in your camp."

He immediately stopped smirking and his rather good mood darkened very quickly.

"Sorry, it's none of my business, I know," she apologized.

He nodded stiffly at her apology, and rose to his feet, lending a hand to her. She thought about it for a few seconds, and then took it, standing up as well. She let go of his hand as soon as she was standing and marched towards the campfire, leaving him behind, staring at her.

* * *

She ate everything that they gave her. She wasn't going to complain: the spew was one of the best things she had eaten for a long time, thanks to Granny's cooking. Even with little, she could actually cook the best of meals!

She smiled a little at Roland when she noticed his gaze upon her, and cupped her bowl with her hands. It was warm, and even though the fire was glowing fiercely and warming her body, her hands had stayed cold. Now, she could feel warmth spreading through her fingers and she felt the numbness in her go away.

"Regina?" she suddenly heard, and she turned towards Snow, her brows furrowing.

"You were saying?" she answered in a tone colder than she had intended. She hated when people disrupted her course of thoughts.

"We were making a plan," the younger woman informed her.

"I already told you, I _do_ have a plan."

"Could you at least listen to ours?" Leroy exclaimed.

She scowled but nodded, commanding herself to stay calm. She had never liked him… too _rude_ , maybe. From the corners of her eyes, she saw Snow glaring at the man, but it frustrated her more than anything else. She didn't need Snow White, of all people, to protect her.

"Let's get back to our plan, okay?" Charming intervened.

All of them nodded and Snow continued, "We'll stay here for a few days, Robin already told us he was fine with it." Regina opened her mouth but Snow didn't let her intervene and glared at her, saying, "And you will stay here with us. And when we are ready, we will all go to the castle, and face our enemy together."

"You do realize that's not really a plan, right?" Regina sneered.

She received glares from everyone around her, Snow, Charming, Robin, Leroy…

"It's just the truth!" she insisted. "Your plan is to go to that castle without a plan?" She laughed again, shaking her head at the naive people surrounding her.

"We can't really make up a perfect plan in… what, a few hours?" Robin tried to calm her down.

"My plan is perfectly ready and I came up with it in seconds."

"Your plan is not really better than ours. If you go out there alone, you could die."

At that precise moment, she looked at him and by the expression on his face, she knew he had seen the look in her eyes. He stayed silent though, and she felt grateful for it.

"Stay with us, Regina," Snow begged her, disrupting their silent exchange. "Please."

She just stood up and nodded, once, very shortly, before she walked away. She found she couldn't really lie to them (she had no intention of staying with them, even if she knew it was the less stupid thing to do), and she preferred to walk towards her fire and think about everything, alone.

* * *

She woke up before everyone else and looked around her, noting that the one who guarded the camp was posted on the other side of the tents, half-hidden by them. If she was quick enough, he wouldn't even notice she had woken up and was gone before it was too late.

She chose to quickly write a note, under the light of the moon, before she ran away. The more honest note she had ever written, which was even more surprising because it was addressed to two of the most infuriating people she had ever known, Snow and Charming. She materialized a piece of parchment and a quill using a little bit of her magic, and started writing.

 _Snow, Charming,_

 _I had to go. I couldn't stay. I think both of you know why._

 _I never liked you (I think you know that by now), but still, I'm sorry. Tell little Roland I'm sorry too._

 _Regina_

She was not quite satisfied with the last sentence, but she had written it in one go, and she didn't really want to change it. Besides, she didn't have much time left. She left the note on the mattress she had created for herself and disappeared.

* * *

 **I hope you enjoyed that chapter (and I'm so sorry for the little delay, I was supposed to post this yesterday night) !**

 **The next chapter will (normally) be out next Monday. :)**


	4. Chapter 4 - You Have Changed

**Hello everyone! First of all, I am so sorry for that delay, and so I'm going to make a** **summary** **of the previous chapter, because it's been quite a while. In chapter 3, Regina saves Roland, and a lot of discussions ensue. She leaves, alone, for the castle.**

 **Second, I** _ **really**_ **enjoyed writing that chapter, and I hope you'll enjoy it too.**

 **Disclaimer: Nothing is mine, all belongs to ABC, Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz. I don't make any money out of this story.**

 **And now, enjoy this chapter, which was long overdue! :)**

* * *

 **Chapter 4:** **You Have Changed**

Robin suddenly woke up. He wondered what had happened, and his first reflex was to turn towards his son, who was still sleeping peacefully. He listened more attentively to the silence surrounding him, and that's when he heard it. A continuous scratch, like a quill on parchment. He frowned. Who was it? Who would write a letter in the middle of the night?

When the noise stopped, he quickly got up and out of the tent. The first thing he saw was the guard standing by the trees, who seemed relaxed (maybe a little _too_ relaxed), and then he turned around and saw someone disappearing into the trees. He had a feeling he knew who it was.

He hesitated and looked back at the tent. His son would certainly be worried if he woke up and discovered his father was no longer here with him. Did he have the right to leave him here, alone, just to follow a woman he didn't even know two days ago? And then, it occurred to him that Roland wasn't alone: he had John, and Baelfire now, and they were both sleeping nearby. He was sure his son would find them if he needed to.

He nodded for himself and whispered to the night, "Goodbye, Roland" before turning away from the tents and disappearing into the forest.

* * *

He let his eyes adapt to the lack of light under the canopy, and then followed Regina's tracks. He was a great hunter, but one of the things he wasn't used to was hunting _at night_. He tried his best, of course, but he quickly lost track of the queen. He sighed and concentrated. He probably didn't even need his sight to track her down, just his hearing.

A few moments later, he heard a twig snap and smiled triumphantly. He followed the noises and suddenly stumbled in another clearing. This one was covered in moss, and the rock in its centre had an opening which seemed to lead down into a tunnel. And just in front of this entrance stood Regina… who was now looking at him like she wanted to strangle him, or set him on fire, or both.

"What are you doing here?" she seethed. "You're supposed to be asleep!"

"So are you," he answered mockingly. "And I'm pretty sure this certainly wasn't part of the plan."

"The plan? You had no plan! At least I can do something to stop… whoever it is that took the castle!"

He rolled his eyes. He had never known a woman so… infuriating in his whole life! Even Marian, who was very stubborn, wasn't as irritating as her!

Thinking about his wife darkened his mood. And apparently, Regina noticed it, because she looked at him, frowning.

"What's happening?" she asked more gently.

"Nothing."

She stayed there for a long time, looking at him with her deep dark eyes, and then she sighed and stepped down into the tunnel, without any warning… and any light. He followed her and discovered she was waiting for him, a fireball in her hand shedding light on her face.

"If you want to come, don't get in my way," she warned him.

"Oh, I wouldn't dream of it."

She was ready to go down the tunnel when she seemed to remember something.

"And follow me closely, in my exact steps. I wouldn't want Roland to become an orphan."

He nodded, though she didn't see him because she had already turned away from him.

He followed her _in her exact steps_ , just as she had commanded, and they walked in silence for a few moments, before she asked him again, "What happened back there?"

"Nothing important."

He couldn't tell her the truth. He had the feeling she wouldn't take it well. Maybe she'd feel guilty, maybe…

"You're very stubborn, you know that?" she asked him in a lighter tone.

"One of my many qualities," he answered jokingly, and she rolled her eyes in response. "Do _you_ know you are very, _very_ infuriating, milady?"

She breathed out a little laugh, and then asked him (ordered him would be the correct word), "I want to know what happened. Even if I get the feeling I won't like it. Tell me, _now_."

"You _don't_ want to know what happened, Regina."

"Was it… I don't know, maybe you were upset because your plan _sucked_."

 _Sucked?_ he asked himself. Probably a bad thing though.

"No, it's more than that, obviously," she continued without noticing his confusion. "Why wouldn't I want to know you were upset because of this?"

"It was Marian," he quickly let out before she could continue her annoying rant.

Her steps faltered a little and she guessed, "Your wife."

"Yes, my wife."

"Why were you thinking about her?"

"Because she was quite stubborn as well. Not as much as you, from what I can tell, but… Sometimes she was _too_ stubborn for her own good."

She hummed and then continued her interrogation, asking, "What happened to Marian?"

He didn't answer right away, and they continued to walk. She didn't press the matter, he noticed, and he thought maybe he could get away without answering. But would it be fair to Regina? Perhaps she needed to learn the truth now, and not later.

He opened his mouth to finally answer when she spoke up again.

"Was it me?" she asked, her voice weaker than before.

He stayed silent, and she deduced, "It _was_ me."

Robin didn't deny and she nodded, her shoulders tense. He tried to reassure her, calling out her name in a gentle whisper, but she interrupted him before he could finish his sentence.

"Why are you helping me if I killed your wife?"

"I know I should hate you, but… I have the feeling that you have changed. And you dying will not bring her back, will not bring _anyone_ back."

She looked like she wasn't convinced by what he was saying, but didn't have time to reply before they both heard a _clack_.

His reflexes allowed him to seize Regina's arms and pull her against him, just before the trap was activated and metal spears surged out of the ground at the exact place where Regina was standing two seconds before.

He heard her exhale and she briefly leaned into him before she let go of him. She had instinctively grabbed his arm, and when she let her hand fall back at her side, he let go of her as well.

"Thank you," she just said.

She turned towards the pikes and waved her hand at them, making them vanish into thin air.

He took a deep breath and straightened his shoulders. And then he asked her the question that was on the tip of his tongue for a whole minute now.

"Was this trap even supposed to be here?"

"No."

A short reply, but very clear. A reply that meant that this trap could very well be the first of other unexpected traps. He hoped being on their guard would be enough to escape death, or mortal injuries.

When Regina started walking again, he followed her.

* * *

Surprisingly enough, they didn't cross any other unwanted traps. They were now waiting in front of an open door, which was certainly supposed to be closed, considering Regina's wide eyes.

"This door wasn't supposed to be open… was it?" he asked.

She shook her head silently and deduced, "The thief, no offense, entered the castle from the underground tunnels."

"Or this scenery's just meant to make you think so, and it's actually another trap," he deadpanned. "Is there any kind of trap in this room?"

She just ordered "Follow my exact steps" as if he hadn't done this from the second they had entered the tunnel, and she stepped through the open door, holding her dress up so it didn't graze the ground. He obeyed her order and soon they were in the castle, and they luckily hadn't stepped into another unexpected trap.

Seeing just the entrance hall seemed to stir memories in the former queen, memories she didn't necessarily want to remember. She shook her head to get rid of them.

They both silently stood in the great hall for a few minutes, until they heard a noise upstairs. Regina immediately started to walk hurriedly towards the stairs, but he held her back, calling her name.

"What?" she whispered. "The invader's probably there!"

"You have to be more careful, Regina," he tried to calm her down. "Besides, what's so important about this castle that you're willing to risk your life for it? This is where you've committed all sorts of atrocities, and –"

"And where my family is," she cut him off, her glare fixed on him until she lowered her eyes and continued more calmly, "We'll talk later."

With that final sentence, she started walking towards the stairs. At least she had followed part of his advice: she walked more calmly now, she was more suspicious.

He followed her up the stairs, into what seemed to be her former chambers. There was no sign of someone living there, and yet, even after all these years, there was no sign of dust in the room.

"Someone was here just minutes ago," Regina informed him. "Someone capable of doing magic. I can feel it."

"Should we worry then?" he asked without thinking.

She looked at him for a few seconds before she barked out a laugh.

"Oh, please. Do you remember who's with you? The Evil Queen!"

"You don't seem so evil anymore," he reminded her.

She just shook her head. Perhaps she wasn't evil anymore, but whoever invaded the castle would have to pay for their mistake, seeing her attitude.

She wandered around the room and let her fingers brush the surface of her vanity. A small smile formed on her lips and Robin felt the urge to comfort her. But before he could say or do anything, she seemed to regain her composure. She straightened her shoulders and regained a perfectly neutral expression.

He looked at her reflection in the mirror and saw something in her eyes that greatly worried him.

"Regina? What are you about to do?" he asked, his voice full of concern.

"I'm sorry… Robin."

The way his name sounded on her lips was so terribly… strange. Before he could react, she waved her hand at him and he found himself struggling to move.

"Regina?" he called out once more, horrified when he saw her sitting down and pulling a hairpin out of her complicated hairstyle.

Then, she unlaced a necklace he hadn't noticed before. At the end of the necklace was a little flask with blue liquid inside.

"This is a sleeping curse," she told him, her dark eyes fixed intently on the recipient. "It won't do any harm to me, I'll just… sleep."

He stared at her, understanding.

"That was your plan all along," he said, more calmly than he felt.

"Why do you think I wanted to come here alone?" she asked, and he was not sure she wanted an answer, so he stayed silent.

He watched her, helpless, as she poured some of the blue liquid on the tip of the pin. And just when she was going to pierce her skin, he held her back.

He said, "You do know this is not what your son would have wanted?"

"It doesn't matter! Don't you get it? I'll never see him again anyway!"

She was almost screaming by the end of her sentence, anger filling her tone.

"Maybe you will. Maybe you'll get a second chance with him," he tried to comfort her. "Everyone can get a second chance, Regina. You just have to open your eyes to see it."

After a long moment she spent studying him, she put down the hairpin and stood up, approaching him slowly.

"I don't get it," she thought out loud. "Why are you so desperate to help me after all my wrongdoings?"

"People can change. And I believe that _you_ have changed."

"How can you be so sure?"

Such uncertainty coming from her was… startling, to say the least, but he answered anyway, "Well, you haven't killed me, a _thief_ , yet. So there's still hope for you."

He smiled and she replied with a little smile of her own. Then she waved her hand and he was suddenly free to move again. He walked towards the vanity and grabbed the flask before heading for the balcony.

"What do you think you're doing, exactly?"

This time, the queen's voice was icy. He wondered how she could be so lunatic.

"Destroying this," he answered anyway. "You won't need it anymore… will you?"

She looked hesitant, but then she nodded her agreement, and just when he was about to turn to throw it away…

 _Pain_ , Robin thought. _How can I be in so much pain?_

* * *

 **I hope you enjoyed that chapter, as much as I enjoyed writing it! But please, tell me if any characters look OOC, so I may be able to fix it.**

 **I also want to thank everyone that has read, favourited, followed and reviewed my story, it means so much to me! :)**

 **And lastly, I won't make any promises as for when the next chapter will be out, because, as you can see, it seems I can't respect them (and I really should respect them, so I'm sorry again).**


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